Wear parts are commonly attached to all kinds of earth-working equipment to prolong the useful life of the equipment. For example, teeth are mounted along the digging edge of various kinds of excavating equipment, runners are mounted along buckets and chutes, hammers are mounted in crushers, etc. Such wear parts typically comprise multiple components such as a base fixed to the equipment, a wear member mounted over the base, and a lock to releasably hold the wear member to the base. In this way, the material to be discarded due to wear can be minimized.
Wear parts for earth-working equipment are subjected to harsh conditions and, in some cases, heavy loading. In order to provide the desired strength and tightness in the assembly, the lock is frequently driven into and out of the assembly with a large hammer. Although hammered locks have long been in use, they are difficult to use and can expose the worker to potential hazards. Efforts have been made to develop hammerless locks, particularly for the large mining machines. As one example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,993,861 discloses a tapered lock that is pried into and out of a cooperatively tapered opening, and offers many benefits over hammered locks. Nevertheless, in some environments, release of the latch can be resisted by impacted fines.